Unexpected Complications
by LDT5413
Summary: FBI Agents Ressler and Keen have a bond that no one can break. When feelings between friends and partners blur, their friendship is tested and vulnerabilities come to light. Unexpected complications arise in matters of the heart and thoughts of the mind; physical desires have unforeseen consequences that neither agent saw coming.


**AN: Hello everyone! I've been on this site for years and began writing my work and posting it a few years ago in college. I recently fell in love with The Blacklist and even more so with the pairing that is Ressler and Keen. They just seem so…..right together. Yes…even when she was with that bastard of a husband Tom Keen. I'm not sure how many Ressler/Liz shippers are out there, but I'm assuming some at least. I've read all the stories I could find on them and found a fair few. So hopefully their relationship will pick up supporters. Anyway I decided to try my hand at writing something for this fandom to see how it goes. **

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own rights or privileges to The Blacklist. That honorable privilege goes to the writers and producers. Unfortunately I don't own Ressler either. I also do not own anything from Ed Sheeran as far as song tittles go. Oh the song Kiss Me is absolutely amazing and reminds me of Liz and Ressler. You should go listen to it. It does come back up in the story…so you may want to check it out. **

Cold rain fell from the sky as a couple in suits walked briskly towards a small café. The man held open the door for his partner as thunder crashed from overhead. The tall blonde glared at the sky before following his partner inside. He shook the water from his hair before taking a seat across from his companion. He smiled at her before glancing around the room, out of habit, for anything amiss. When his eyes fell back to the woman in front of him he raised a blonde eyebrow at her.

He rolled his eyes at her before smirking playfully. "What? Can't I just admire the decorations?"

She crossed her arms and scoffed at him. "Please, you admiring a room full of decor is like admitting you enjoy working with Reddington. That doesn't happen. Ever. Just admit you can't leave your agent persona at work. You just can't help yourself."

He grinned before picking up the menu. "You're the profiler Liz, you tell me."

She rolled her eyes, but decided to play along with his teasing. "Donald James Ressler, commonly known as Special Agent Ressler amongst his peers, is a straight laced by the book Federal Agent. He is a perfectionist and an over achiever in everything he does whether it be at work or personal life," she paused grinning at him before continuing, " or lack thereof. He has dreams of someday having a family, but his commitment to work and difficulty finding a woman that understands him makes the dream of a wife and children seem almost unattainable. He likes his suits dry cleaned and pressed so he looks like a Bureau Boy Scout."

He shook his head before narrowing his eyes. "Ha ha, real funny Keen. Now I know how you really feel." He paused before tilting his head to the side, examining her teasing smile. He knew that most of her quick top of the head profile of him was true. As much as he hated to admit it. "I have to admit Keen, you're good and it's true for the most part."

She grinned at him briefly before narrowing her eyes playfully. "What did I get wrong?"

He glanced down at the table before staring into her doe brown eyes. "I'm no boy scout. Not anymore. The day Audrey died I lost the only goodness and pureness I had. I use unorthodox ways of coping with pain and grief. So no Liz, I'm no boy scout."

Liz glanced down at the table and bit her lip nervously. She could feel the tension and knew she shouldn't have played along with his teasing games. She knew he used pills at one point to help manage the grief of losing his fiancé. She shouldn't have drudged up old memories and current struggles.

She glanced up and found Ressler staring intently at her, before handing her the menu. "You may want to get something to eat soon, we're running short on time."

She gladly took the distraction he was offering and buried her face in the menu. She quickly glossed over the drinks and breakfast before laying it down on the table. "Look, Ress, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories, I'm sorry. I was just…..profiling I guess. Bad habit."

Ressler smiled softly at her before placing his large hand on top of her small one. "Liz, it's okay to talk about the past every now and again. It's what makes it easier to cope. Everything that went down with Audrey was a year ago and you've been amazing and helping me with everything else."

Liz smiled before nodding. "It's just…I don't know…..I want you to be happy and okay I guess. It's my job, being your partner and all."

Ressler grinned before moving his hand away. "You're more than my partner Liz. You're my best friend. I hope you know that."

Liz smiled before breathing in deep. Of course she knew. He was the one she went to when her scam of a marriage fell to pieces; he was the one she ran to for safety after her encounter with the Stewmaker; and he was the one she could count on to always be honest with her. In any given situation he always told her the truth, no matter how much it would hurt or how hard it would be to face, Donald Ressler was always honest with her.

She glanced up and smiled at him before nodding. "Of course I know Don. I wouldn't be your friend or partner if I thought otherwise. We're supposed to trust each other with our lives on a daily bases, so I would hope that we consider the other a friend." She closed her eyes before staring into his gray blue ones. "You know you can always come to me if you need to talk or are having a bad day. I hope you know that."

Ressler leaned back and watched as the waitress finally delivered their coffee. He waited until she was at another table before leaning in close to Liz. He smiled warmly at her before nodding. "Lizzie, I've come to you when I was at my weakest and trusted you to help me out and you did. You've come to me when your bastard of an ex was locked away and you didn't know where or who to turn to. I'd say we can count on each other for anything."

Liz smiled and nodded before glancing at the clock. "Damn it! Ressler, we have to go. Now or we're going to be late."

Ressler glanced at his watch and almost had a heart attack. He scowled while grabbing his coffee and throwing down enough money for both drinks. He followed Liz to the black suburban before climbing in on the driver's side. He glanced at the clock again before speeding towards the highway.

While at a red light he glanced at Liz before grinning. "You know, I thought we moved our morning coffee back so this exact situation didn't happen."

Liz laughed before taking a sip from the Styrofoam cup she held. "It's not my fault that time gets away from us every morning. You have to have you tie just so before walking into headquarters."

Ressler scowled before driving down the highway. "Hey, I have a reputation to uphold thank you very much. Just because I can be myself with you doesn't mean I can let everyone else see the other side of me."

Liz shook her head smiling, but knew his statement to be true. She knew that once they arrived at The Post Office every ounce of familiarity between them as friends would disappear and in its place would be that of professional coworkers and partners. She decided to worry about their dynamic when they actually arrived at work. For the moment she focused on the familiar melodies of Ed Sheeran's 'Kiss Me' coming from the radio. She noticed Ressler watching her out of the corner of his eye, but didn't comment on it. She watched as he smiled softly before tapping his finger against the steering wheel in time with the bass.

As soon as they pulled into the parking garage they glanced at each other before nodding curtly and climbing out of the vehicle. As they made their way into the bullpen they kept a professional distance as they made their way into their shared office. They sat down just as Aram came through the doors with two identical files containing their next case. They glanced down at the contents of the files and looked back up at each other with small smiles.

Ressler cleared his throat before laying the file down. "Ready to get working on this Keen?"

For a moment his clear no nonsense attitude caught her off guard, but she schooled her features quickly before nodding. "Of course," She pause before giving him a sly grin, "agent."

Ressler shook his head before raising his eyebrow at her. He grinned feeling confident that with each other this new case could be in the bag in no time. He began reading the details and roles that he and Liz would be playing before he stopped short.

He reread the third paragraph twice before glancing back up at his partner with wide eyes. "Uh…Keen how far have you gotten over there?"

Liz glanced up and gave him a confused look before shrugging. "Just started reading, why?"

Ressler cleared his throat before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We have to go undercover for awhile."

Liz shrugged before nodding. "That's not so bad Ress, why do you look pale and peaky for?"

Ressler sighed and pointed to the file in his hands. "Read the third paragraph, then tell me it's not so bad."

Liz rolled her eyes before scanning the third paragraph. When her eyes ran across the words married and undercover she froze. She glanced up at Ressler and motioned between herself and him before opening and closing her mouth. "Married. Me and you?"

Ressler nodded before sighing and leaning back in his chair. He watched Liz for a reaction, but only could come up with one.

This case just got a lot more interesting.

**AN2: So this didn't go like I intended at all, but when does it ever? I had a completely different ending to this chapter, but I see it fitting in elsewhere in this long, complicated story. Yes Red will be making an appearance. Let me know what you guys thought by reviewing. Feel free to PM me as well. I'm friendly and would love to discuss anything Blacklist related. It only takes a little time, so read and give me some feedback. Happy reading! **


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